Big Sky Power Rankings 11-14

[JALMOND]

Now it all comes down to this, the final weekend of the season, and everyone plays except for Northern Colorado, whose season is finished. Rivalry week for Montana, Montana State, Sacramento State and Northern Arizona (sort of). Here are this week's power rankings for the Big Sky Conference. All are my opinion only and all are open for discussion. No use stalling, let's get to them. This week (last week)

1. Montana State (1)---The Bobcats had an off week scheduled before their big rivalry game at home with Montana. An off week is usually good to heal some wounds, but it can also be bad in that it could kill some momentum. The Bobcats can still clinch a top seed in the playoffs.

2. Montana (2)---Like Montana State, the Grizzlies had an off week, but they also had sort of an off week before, as they played DII Western Oregon. As the case with the Bobcats, will the Grizzlies feel some effect of the off week or was it a good time to heal. Either way, they should be relatively healthy for their game at Montana State.

3. Portland State (3)---The Vikings headed into the buzz nest last week at Northern Colorado and the results were almost disastrous. But an illegal block penalty secured a win over the Bears and kept the Vikings marching on. This week, they end their season at home against Weber State.

4. Eastern Washington (4)---Double overtime is usually reserved for the first week of basketball, but the Eagles showed they can deal with it, too, as they took a hard fought, double overtime win over future conference member Cal Poly. Dreams of what might have been if not for the terrible start back in September. It is soon over as this week, they head on the road to Idaho State.

5. Sacramento State (6)---The Hornets finally got a win last week, even if it was at home against rebuilding Idaho State. At this point, a win is a good thing, as the Hornets have seen their dream season go terribly awry. If there is a consolation prize, they can still beat their rival, UC-Davis this weekend. Beating the rival is always a good thing, no matter what has happened.

6. Weber State (7)---The Wildcats showed they still have some fight left in them as they came alive last week against Northern Arizona and got a tough win. Now a chance to let their long time coach go out a winner, after getting the win in their final home game. This weekend, however, they have to go on the road to play the tough Portland State team. It won't be easy.

7. Northern Arizona (5)---The march towards a successful end to the season took a serious detour last week as the Lumberjacks could not get the win at Weber State. Still, getting set for next year is in the picture and this late run could prove beneficial. This week, they welcome Southern Utah into the conference with a home date. A win would give them the building blocks for next year.

8. Northern Colorado (9)---Sure the season is over and the Bears went winless, starting with the ugly home loss against NAIA Lindenwood. But their level of play increased each week, to the point where they had the game last week won against a good Portland State team, only to lose it to an ill-timed penalty. Their season is done, but the foundation is built for them to be a good team next year. Whether that is the case remains to be seen.

9. Idaho State (8)---The game of football is simple and perfectly illustrated by the Bengals game against Sacramento State last week. The team that scores touchdowns will beat the team that kicks field goals. The Bengals basically packed up the season early and got ready for next year. There still is one game left, at home against Eastern Washington. One would think that Kramer would like the chance to beat the Eagles, or will he just get ready for next year.

RECAP: 1, then 2, then 3, then 4-7 not that far behind, then 8-9 bunched together.

[kalm]

I'm going to pic nits here for a second because I'm bitter and I can. All of our FCS losses have been against currently ranked opponents. We beat each of the other 4-7 teams in the conference. I think we deserve to be placed on a mediocre plateau of our own. 1, then 2, then 3, then 4, 5-7 etc is how this should look imho.

[Screamin_Eagle174]

And it was triple OT.

[kemajic]

3. Portland State (3)---The Vikings headed into the buzz nest last week at Northern Colorado and the results were almost disastrous. But an illegal block penalty secured a win over the Bears and kept the Vikings marching on. This week, they end their season at home against Weber State.

How illegal was that block?

http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/ap ... ts/?p=9617" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[frinq]

DeSean Shead, one of our better safeties, is quoted as saying "Apparently blocking outside in is not allowed and inside out is." Whatever that means.

[eaglesfootball]

looks pretty good, the only thing i would add is the cal poly game went to triple OT. I also think 3 and 4 are pretty close with a slightly larger gap between 4 and 5. EWU likely finishes 5-3 in the big sky with a win against ISU on sat. Its no given PSU beats Weber but if they do they finish with the same conference record as ewu and the same number of division I wins. Yes EWU would have two more losses but we played an all division I schedule no NAIAs or Division II.

[JALMOND]

looks pretty good, the only thing i would add is the cal poly game went to triple OT. I also think 3 and 4 are pretty close with a slightly larger gap between 4 and 5. EWU likely finishes 5-3 in the big sky with a win against ISU on sat. Its no given PSU beats Weber but if they do they finish with the same conference record as ewu and the same number of division I wins. Yes EWU would have two more losses but we played an all division I schedule no NAIAs or Division II.

Portland State beats Weber, we end with a conference record of 6-2, only losses to Montana and Montana State.

[EWURanger]

looks pretty good, the only thing i would add is the cal poly game went to triple OT. I also think 3 and 4 are pretty close with a slightly larger gap between 4 and 5. EWU likely finishes 5-3 in the big sky with a win against ISU on sat. Its no given PSU beats Weber but if they do they finish with the same conference record as ewu and the same number of division I wins. Yes EWU would have two more losses but we played an all division I schedule no NAIAs or Division II.

Portland State beats Weber, we end with a conference record of 6-2, only losses to Montana and Montana State.

Maybe he's factoring the UNC loss into that equation.

But seriously, though. If both teams win out, Portland State has a better conference record and also has the W over the Eagles, but both have the same number of Division I wins by virtue of EWU's win over Cal-Poly. I'd still give PSU a slight edge over EWU, but they ain't out there on their own. The fact that PSU has wins over a Division III and an NAIA to give them two more wins means very little to me. When you compare similar competition, the teams are very close.

I would put it like this:

#1 clearly on their own
#2 slightly behind
#3 & #4 about the same - Both EWU and PSU would be bubble teams with one less loss.
#5 - #7 about the same - Not a lot seperating Sac St, Weber, and NAU
#8 & # 9 - about the same. UNC is clearly a better team than ISU at this point in the season, they just don't have the wins to show it.

[biobengal]

UNC is 9; how can they be anything but?

So.... UNC played PSU tough at home and should have won; the same could be said for ISU. So... UNC played reasonably well @ NAU and lost by 20, ISU lost @ NAU by 17. Have you forgotten UNC lost to Lindenwood? What about the 30 point loss @ ISU. Did I mention UNC hasn't won a single game? Should I go on? How about the fact that ISU has played the last 4 weeks on the road... could this be a reason they've been slowed down a bit? By comparison, UNC has played at home 3 of the last 4 weeks. What about the schedules? ISU has just 5 home games; UNC has 6... ISU played 2 FBS... UNC played a weak Colorado State. Should I go on?

[BigSkyBears]

UNC is 9; how can they be anything but?

So.... UNC played PSU tough at home and should have won; the same could be said for ISU. So... UNC played reasonably well @ NAU and lost by 20, ISU lost @ NAU by 17. Have you forgotten UNC lost to Lindenwood? What about the 30 point loss @ ISU. Did I mention UNC hasn't won a single game? Should I go on? How about the fact that ISU has played the last 4 weeks on the road... could this be a reason they've been slowed down a bit? By comparison, UNC has played at home 3 of the last 4 weeks. What about the schedules? ISU has just 5 home games; UNC has 6... ISU played 2 FBS... UNC played a weak Colorado State. Should I go on?

Maybe you don't understand the difference between power rankings and actual standings. Power rankings are based on week-by-week play. Meaning Jalmond (and probably most reasonable fans) believe UNC is as of this week, a better team than ISU.

[AZGrizFan]

I would put it like this:

#1 clearly on their own
#2 slightly behind
#3 & #4 about the same - Both EWU and PSU would be bubble teams with one less loss.
#5 - #7 about the same - Not a lot seperating Sac St, Weber, and NAU
#8 & # 9 - about the same. UNC is clearly a better team than ISU at this point in the season, they just don't have the wins to show it.

If PSU had one less loss they'd be in.

[Screamin_Eagle174]

I would put it like this:

#1 clearly on their own
#2 slightly behind
#3 & #4 about the same - Both EWU and PSU would be bubble teams with one less loss.
#5 - #7 about the same - Not a lot seperating Sac St, Weber, and NAU
#8 & # 9 - about the same. UNC is clearly a better team than ISU at this point in the season, they just don't have the wins to show it.

If PSU had one less loss they'd be in.

So would EWU.

[biobengal]

UNC is 9; how can they be anything but?

So.... UNC played PSU tough at home and should have won; the same could be said for ISU. So... UNC played reasonably well @ NAU and lost by 20, ISU lost @ NAU by 17. Have you forgotten UNC lost to Lindenwood? What about the 30 point loss @ ISU. Did I mention UNC hasn't won a single game? Should I go on? How about the fact that ISU has played the last 4 weeks on the road... could this be a reason they've been slowed down a bit? By comparison, UNC has played at home 3 of the last 4 weeks. What about the schedules? ISU has just 5 home games; UNC has 6... ISU played 2 FBS... UNC played a weak Colorado State. Should I go on?

Maybe you don't understand the difference between power rankings and actual standings. Power rankings are based on week-by-week play. Meaning Jalmond (and probably most reasonable fans) believe UNC is as of this week, a better team than ISU.

My analysis was convincing... no? Besides, on what grounds should UNC and power be used in the same paragraph? UNC has lost every single game. People only see the scores... they don't read between the lines and see this: UNC playing 3 of 4 at home makes a team look good; playing 4 straight road games @ BYU, @ Montana State, @ Weber and @ Sac makes a team look bad.

[JALMOND]

Maybe you don't understand the difference between power rankings and actual standings. Power rankings are based on week-by-week play. Meaning Jalmond (and probably most reasonable fans) believe UNC is as of this week, a better team than ISU.

My analysis was convincing... no? Besides, on what grounds should UNC and power be used in the same paragraph? UNC has lost every single game. People only see the scores... they don't read between the lines and see this: UNC playing 3 of 4 at home makes a team look good; playing 4 straight road games @ BYU, @ Montana State, @ Weber and @ Sac makes a team look bad.

Your argument was good, but not convincing. True that at the beginning of the year, the Bears were terrible and started the year losing to Lindenwood. Also true is the fact that the Bengals beat the Bears early in the year rather convincingly. These were the main points I made for keeping the Bengals ahead of the Bears every week. However, the Bengals have not won a game since that UNC game on September 17. After this loss against Sacramento State that made seven straight losses. Aside from the loss to Portland State, the others were pretty much done or on their way to being done by the end of the first quarter, which showed me that Kramer had the Bengals in a rebuilding mode after Moore left. Compared to what the Bears have done, improving against the same level of competition the Bengals played and coming within a penalty (bogus or not) of getting a good win against Portland State, one could make a good argument that the Bears are better than the Bengals now. One could also use the same logic about any team in the conference in regards to those September games. Could Sacramento State really beat Oregon State now? Could Eastern Washington really be in a position to steal the game against Washington now? Could Sacramento State completely outplay Montana now? So, I ask you, could Idaho State really beat Northern Colorado now?

[biobengal]

My analysis was convincing... no? Besides, on what grounds should UNC and power be used in the same paragraph? UNC has lost every single game. People only see the scores... they don't read between the lines and see this: UNC playing 3 of 4 at home makes a team look good; playing 4 straight road games @ BYU, @ Montana State, @ Weber and @ Sac makes a team look bad.

Your argument was good, but not convincing. True that at the beginning of the year, the Bears were terrible and started the year losing to Lindenwood. Also true is the fact that the Bengals beat the Bears early in the year rather convincingly. These were the main points I made for keeping the Bengals ahead of the Bears every week. However, the Bengals have not won a game since that UNC game on September 17. After this loss against Sacramento State that made seven straight losses. Aside from the loss to Portland State, the others were pretty much done or on their way to being done by the end of the first quarter, which showed me that Kramer had the Bengals in a rebuilding mode after Moore left. Compared to what the Bears have done, improving against the same level of competition the Bengals played and coming within a penalty (bogus or not) of getting a good win against Portland State, one could make a good argument that the Bears are better than the Bengals now. One could also use the same logic about any team in the conference in regards to those September games. Could Sacramento State really beat Oregon State now? Could Eastern Washington really be in a position to steal the game against Washington now? Could Sacramento State completely outplay Montana now? So, I ask you, could Idaho State really beat Northern Colorado now?

Touchy-feely argument.... likely clouded by the fact that PSU just played UNC.

Where you've used some analysis it's often misleading; for example, you say this: "the others (games) were pretty much done or on their way to being done by the end of the first quarter". Not true, ISU was leading the Sac game at the 4 minute mark of the third quarter; Sac had just a 1 score lead until 2 minutes left in the game. By comparison, UNC managed just 72 yards against SAC in a home loss.... ISU had more than 72 yards in just one drive @ Sac.

Oregon State? Eastern Washington? You're working really hard at this, I'll give you that.

[JALMOND]

Your argument was good, but not convincing. True that at the beginning of the year, the Bears were terrible and started the year losing to Lindenwood. Also true is the fact that the Bengals beat the Bears early in the year rather convincingly. These were the main points I made for keeping the Bengals ahead of the Bears every week. However, the Bengals have not won a game since that UNC game on September 17. After this loss against Sacramento State that made seven straight losses. Aside from the loss to Portland State, the others were pretty much done or on their way to being done by the end of the first quarter, which showed me that Kramer had the Bengals in a rebuilding mode after Moore left. Compared to what the Bears have done, improving against the same level of competition the Bengals played and coming within a penalty (bogus or not) of getting a good win against Portland State, one could make a good argument that the Bears are better than the Bengals now. One could also use the same logic about any team in the conference in regards to those September games. Could Sacramento State really beat Oregon State now? Could Eastern Washington really be in a position to steal the game against Washington now? Could Sacramento State completely outplay Montana now? So, I ask you, could Idaho State really beat Northern Colorado now?

Touchy-feely argument.... likely clouded by the fact that PSU just played UNC.

Where you've used some analysis it's often misleading; for example, you say this: "the others (games) were pretty much done or on their way to being done by the end of the first quarter". Not true, ISU was leading the Sac game at the 4 minute mark of the third quarter; Sac had just a 1 score lead until 2 minutes left in the game. By comparison, UNC managed just 72 yards against SAC in a home loss.... ISU had more than 72 yards in just one drive @ Sac.

Oregon State? Eastern Washington? You're working really hard at this, I'll give you that.

Your opinion, of course. ISU did beat UNC head to head, and if you want to hang your hat on the idea that ISU almost beat #5 (somehow) and that is better than UNC could have (and maybe should have) beat #3 last weekend, then you have that right. Right now, I don't see ISU being the better team (but it is close).

[biobengal]

Your opinion, of course. ISU did beat UNC head to head, and if you want to hang your hat on the idea that ISU almost beat #5 (somehow) and that is better than UNC could have (and maybe should have) beat #3 last weekend, then you have that right. Right now, I don't see ISU being the better team (but it is close).

Ugh.... not even close to what was said.

Ultimately.... it matters little, both have had miserable years; however, I prefer ISU's play this year and next year's potential over UNC's.

[cats2506]

I think UNC is the better team at the end of the season, even though the record does not show it

[BigSkyBears]

Your opinion, of course. ISU did beat UNC head to head, and if you want to hang your hat on the idea that ISU almost beat #5 (somehow) and that is better than UNC could have (and maybe should have) beat #3 last weekend, then you have that right. Right now, I don't see ISU being the better team (but it is close).

Ugh.... not even close to what was said.

Ultimately.... it matters little, both have had miserable years; however, I prefer ISU's play this year and next year's potential over UNC's.

Go ahead and take a poll. I bet most fans would say UNC was a better football team as of the date these power rankings took place.

[JALMOND]

I feel honored that people put so much stock in these rankings. They are just my opinion and opinions are like belly buttons, everyone has one (or something like that).